Howell Yago
__________________________________________________________________________ ''They call her Goblin Hai, named after the stories of those unlucky enough to capture a glimpse of her and escape with their lives. She’s killed over 100 bluecoats and even more civilian citizens. Even today, one should be careful traveling alone at night for if one is caught within the sights of this fiend, they are sure to perish… and be eaten too. '' __________________________________________________________________________ Prologue (the gist of it) Howell Yago is not Howell Yago’s real name. His real name is Charlot De'epee. Charlot's parents were nobles. Our protagonist had lived a normal life in the lap of luxury until the Crimson Deluge occurred. Fleeing from their home, the De’epee family were chased down by Tarku’s military men. The boy who would become Howell was able to escape in the streets of Stormgate while both of his parents were executed in the town square. He ended up in the underground city where he met an old friend, a fellow noble girl who was few years older than him, Del Cadwalader was her real name. She had received a gruesome face injury and was so ashamed about her disfigured visage that she hid it with a cotton head-wrap mask thing. But Charlot had had a crush on her for like two years and still was crushing on her pretty hard. Together they survived those harsh, perpetually drenched streets. Stealing from shops just to fend off starvation. That time the girl formerly known as Del threatened the life of that one doctor when Charlot fell gravely ill. That other time when Charlot fought those gang members over the comments made about the face of the girl formerly known as Del. That other other time when the girl who was named Del and Charlot stole candy from that baby. All the while, the girl who used to be named Del had a hatred within her that festered as the the city changed into something she no longer recognized. Charlot was just twelve when he lost his family, memories of those early years where but a dream to him now. But for the Goblin Hai, I mean, the girl who had the name of Del previous, who was 17, her entire childhood was spent as a noble. She was old enough to know the privilege she would one day inherit. Today, when she remembers what she could have had, the scars that covered her face all throb in unison. Why wasn’t revenge as sweet for Charlot as it was for her? Together they tracked down the dreaded executioner who decapitated Charlot's parents. Pinned on the ground the man, now a middle aged man wasting away in some shabby shack, screamed for mercy as Howell held the tip of his long sword above his sword. “Please! May the gods spare me! I was ordered to–– no! I was forced to take out those nobles! The General, h-he had my family hostage!” ' '''Although the disgraced executioner was louder than the thunder that echoed through the alley ways, Howell still kept his blade still, shaking slightly. Soon Howell and his accomplice would be found by the boys in blue. But he just couldn’t do it. After what seemed like an eternity, Charlot heard the final cries of the executioner escape his mouth as helpless gurgles. He drowned in his own blood that flowed forth from the fatal stab in the trachea. Charlot looked to see his sword was covered in blood, his hands on the hilt’s end, and on his hands were the hands of the Goblin Hai. Before Charlot could perceive the smile that formed on her lips, the Goblin Hai drew his sword from the corpse and together they ran to the labyrinthine backstreets from whence they came. ' '''As they ran from their estate, Charlot's family was cornered by a single soldier armed with a large claymore. In primal desperation, Charlot's father threw his only child toward the soldier as he attempted to make an escape. The soldier however, quickly pushed the young boy aside and swung at the cowardly aristocrat. Charlot De'epee, betrayed and abandoned by his father ran away in confused fear, of both the soldier and his father. He would later hear the terrible stories of the nobles of the Twin King Era huddles around a meager fire in the depths of the Undercity. Nobles of the past, the military might of Tarkus, no difference to Charlot. This whole city is cursed, doomed forever by dreadful rulers. 2 years later The rain pounded in the Heaps, washing all the blood from the bodies strewn across the hills of garbage. Among them stood a young girl, jagged dagger in hand and a thin rag wrapped around her face. A few strands of hair jutted out from the enveloping folds of her makeshift scarf. Next to her was a towheaded boy, on his knees retching. The girl was gazing at the boy below her with eyes full of disdain when the lightning flashed. The shadow of a figure was cast over the girl and the boy. The former turned to see an elderly woman offering her umbrella. She wore a black hat. The strips of mirror that draped down from the wide brim hid her face with the reflection of others. Ula would send the two on simple missions, deliver some documents to this man. Steal some bread from that bakery. Distract those people for a few minutes. Anything any kid could do. However, Ula noticed a disturbing pattern. More and more people, civilian or not, would end up hurt in these seemingly innocuous missions. She noticed the cruel eyes of the girl, her proficiency with any short blade coupled with her nimble movements made her an obvious candidate for assassination. The boy however was feckless, following the girl wherever she walked like a lost puppy. At fourteen years old it looked he could one day become some porter or coachman, at best. She began sending the girl on more dangerous jobs, the boy would tag along much to his own detriment as he would return green in the face every time. He could not stomach taking a life. The solemn Ula, had never experienced a hint of compassion in all her eighty eight years of life, however… This boy was beyond pathetic. Eventually her disgust morphed into pity, the closest thing to compassion she could muster. One day she handed a boy a sword. She was surprised to see how well he handled it. Was it natural talent? or had the boy been taught already? Whatever the case, Ula unsheathed her rapier from the handle of her umbrella and charged at Charlot. These sparring matches in conjunction with missions on the street, honed Howell’s skills as a swordsman. He even learned a bit of magic from the cold-blooded dame. Nevertheless, any attachment was tenuous at best. Ula became more and more frustrated with the girl, who still never showed the bottom half of her face, as her assassinations became more and more messy. This organization wouldn’t tolerate such shoddy work much longer. The days of the pair of street orphans were numbered. _______________________________________________________________________ Soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSQeIB-kqOUqB1JQyxbLembW3uwTz8xPg To go with the readings: ACT I-Intro/Crime Life (Won’t be cast as demons) *''liquid swords'' Backstory (modified from the song Liquid Swords): When I was little, there was a famous general He was the greatest warrior in the empire And he was the King’s decapitator He cut off the heads of a hundred and thirty-one enemy lords It was a bad time for the kingdom The Kings just stayed inside their castle and they never came out People said their brains were infected by demons Their top General would go to his home, he would forget about the killings He wasn't scared of the Kings but the Kings were scared of him Maybe that was the problem. Then, one night, the General sent his Blue spies to our house They were supposed to kill me but they didn't That was the night everything changed They came and they took my home and almost took my life, if my mother hadn’t sacrificed herself for me and a soldier hadn’t spared me, I wouldn’t have lived past that night. I’ve done many horrible things in my life but that was never my plan. I was never meant to be a fighter. But the only way to survive was to fight and when the blue coats came, that’s what we did. “The Chaos of Crimson Deluge bread us killers.”-Del Cadwalader *''Choppin''' **Together, Charlot and Del assassinate and kill and steal in these streets. Victims were mostly nobles of the new regime, sometimes military officers other times important political figures. Usually in the dead of night, the two would head out on a route organized by the Syndicate. The jobs were in-and-out, no time for negotiations, no room for compromise. Failed missions consisted of discovery of the death of the target before morning’s light; those weren’t discrete. These early discoveries were usually made by family of the deceased, a wife or brother sometimes even a children. The assignments were often and unrelenting, Del was a popular assassin due to her uncompromising style: no witnesses: old enough to see, old enough to bleed. There have been moments when Charlot would force Del to leave a child alive. Higher-ups would chastise the boy for being “too soft” and praise Del for her “tenacity”. **“Catch” Ula says as she tosses Charlot something wrapped in a clothe. Charlot was concerned, he likes to leave the combat to Del. “Go on,” Ula commands, “see what it is.” Charlot unwraps the dark sea blue clothe to unveil the silver short sword, light glistening off the edge. Charlot begins his protest saying ” I don’t thi—“ **“Now I don’t expect a weak-kneed boy like you to go off decapitating men like that girl but, you shouldn’t be completely naked out there. This is dangerous work and you’re working with a dangerous part—“ At this moment Howell shot her a stern look, fire in his eyes. Not often does the boy stand up to the veteran but so when he does, Ula can’t help but back down. She walks up to the teenage boy and wraps the cloth around the sword again as she hisses “Just don’t get yourself killed, brat.” The boy turns away in anger and leaves the house. He hops into a syndicate-provided carriage with Del and tries his hardest not to look at Ula as the coach starts pulling out towards another bloody night. **Montage of Del killing people *''not your kind of people'' **Charlot and Del were summoned to that opulent house of the man in the mask. When the man breathed those decisive words, Charlot’s heart stopped. “No! We can’t do that!You can’t kill Ula!” Charlot yelled. The man the mask was not amused by this outburst, especially since he was addressing Del. Looking down to his partner, Charlot saw that Del’s eyes were cold and piercing, staring straight ahead as they had been since they took their seats. **An hour later, the two young adults walked out of the office. Charlot turned to Charlot “Thanks for having my back there. I know you don’t really like the old lady that much, but she took us off the streets, you know? We were just gonna die broke and cold and wet out there, in the heaps.” Del didn’t reply. She didn’t say a word to Charlot until after the job was done. **The next week Del killed Ula, following the orders of the Syndicate. With no compassion, she beheaded her, a common assassination technique of hers. However, the job was messy, the house that Charlot and Del had stayed in all those years was destroyed down as a result of the battle. Miraculously Del came out of it with only few more scars. Nothing as bad as the one she hid. Charlot was off on a reconnaissance mission when the event happened, a mission that was just an excuse to get the boy away from Ula for a few hours. Was this a condition of Del’s? The Syndicate would usually have no trouble getting rid of a deadbeat member like this noble boy of a bygone era. **The gruesome betrayal of their mentor hurt Charlot more deeply than he knew at the time. It was only then that he began to expect that Del had fallen down a road that she may never come back from. He quickly pushed these thoughts aside as his support for her was starting to wane. **The destruction of Ula’s residence sparked discussion in the streets of Stormgate, The Syndicate had laid undetected up until this point and now the were being assaulted by questions from their various constituents. The man in the mask was not pleased. He sent assassin after assassin after Del, even tipped off some bluecoats but they all lost their lives. With a bounty on her head, Del was no longer fit for the Syndicate but they couldn’t get rid of her. Charlot, distraught and angry just wanted to rid himself of the scumbags who ran his life. **The syndicate members didn’t want to deal with having a loose cannon on their team like Del. Howell offered them a deal. He would get rid of Del for them and they would stop hunting her. Deep down, he felt something. No one knows whether it was love or what but when he had the chance to stab her with a poison-coated shortsword. He couldn’t go through with it. Del saw what he had attempted to do and flew into a rage. Of course she didn’t kill him, he was a noble after all. She forgave Charlot and left the Syndicate on the condition that Charlot got to leave too. The Syndicate agreed. Charlot D’epee became Howell Yago, much to Del’s chagrin. (ACT I end) ACT II-Memories of an Infatuated One (but they don’t feed the hunger deep inside my soul) *''Freckles'' **Back on the street again, scavenging for food with this troublesome young woman, Howell remembers simpler times: Running through the estate grounds, collecting water-bugs, Young Howell and Del were children of men high in the military of the Twin Kings. Of course, Howell’s father was a noble who never participated in a battle in his life but Commander Cadwalader was a man of great talent and promise, that is, the potential to be a Great General of the Stormgate Kingdom. As a boy, Howell was destined for the military and Del was being groomed to be presented to the high courts for when she became of age. Both children dreaded their futures. In the garden filled with bluestars, they made a promise to escape their troublesome futures and see the world and maybe even settle down somewhere where they could be themselves. **Dissatisfied, Howell findfound himself toiling away at a forsaken life in the Stormgate underground with no way out. Only his memories of hope to comfort him… *''The way we were'' **If only time could go back. If only the deluge never happened. To Howel and Del, that was the best time of their lives. But was it really? Nobles were no angels, Howell remembers seeing his father abuse the servants, there were people on the street who crawled on their knees next to carriages. That was bad but at least Del was a nice, simple girl, no desires to kill or to cause any sort of pain. She could fight, her military father made sure she could protect herself but, that wasn’t her life. She would collect the pretty stones that would appear after rainfall and show them to everyone. Howell was a little younger than her and was the only one who was ever impressed. Del loved nature, she had a book of plants from all over the world. The kids would spend afternoons thinking of the adventures they would go on when they were older. **A few years later lost in the city in the aftermath of the Crimson Deluge, Howell wanted to escape, the chance to leave the city behind had arrived finally. She wanted to stay and get revenge. They both wanted to be together. The compromise they came to was this: they would restore the nobles into their rightful thrown and only then would they leave the city and get a nice farm house and live the simple life together. **Howell thought about this as he lived like a bum on the streets but at least he was with the one he loved. *Try a little tenderness Dialogue for the Holidays “The festival is tonight. Would you like to go?”-H “…” - D “Aw come on! It’ll be fun.”-H “… “ - D “We don’t have to see all the marches, we can also visit a some shops.”-H “… “ - D “Please! I’m on my knees here, do you want me on my knees? Sadistic girl! That’s what you are.”-H “…” - D “It’s no fun throwing insults if there’s no retaliation.”-H “…” - D “Fine. I guess we can just stay here then.”-H “… don’t let me get in the way of your fun.” - D “Oh okay. See you later!”-H “Hold on!” - D “What?”-H “So that’s it?” - D “I mean… I w-want to have fun so… “-H “Okay, I’m going but, we won’t be going to any parades.” - D “Got it.”-H “Or any shops.” - D “Err… I mean, maybe––“-H “Or any dance demonstrations” - D “But— “ “We’ll only be visiting one place tonight.” - D “…”-H “Aren’t you curious as to where?” - D “Yes.”-H “Would you like to know?”- D “Hmm, not really. If its better for it to be a surprising.” -H “Aw, that’s kind of sweet.”- D “So that when this place ultimately disappoints, at least we’ll have fun getting there.” -H “Oh. Well that won’t happen.”- D said with a cheeky confidence that was unusually playful of her. And then the two left together. It has been so longer since they had fun together like this. She took to him to a secluded garden, filled with bluestars, where she revealed her true self. Under that silken scarf she always wore, Howell saw ripped skin, soft, tender and pink with grey. Most of her teeth were chipped and jagged. Del was burned and beaten by a group of soldiers upset with the noble class in Stormgate. They took the opportunity to destroy the beauty the aristocrats valued so much, especially in young girls. They succeeded, Del was not a woman who strived for beauty any longer. Now she was a killer with Dangerous ambitions. And despite the fact that the bottom half of her face looked like a goblin shark (don’t google) Howell still loved her. ACT III- Intimate Revelations (don’t suffer in silence) *''너 땜에 맘이 맘이 맘이 맘이 괴로워요'' **As she stood over the dead bodies of the elderly couple, Howell asked: “Did you really have to kill them?” Del reveals that she will kill anyone who stands in her way of Tarkus and kill anyone who endangers the lives of former nobles. “These were rats, Charlie. In need of extermination. They’ve poisoned the well for too long. How can people like us live an honest life with scum like them about?” Del’s eyes shone pure fury through the folds of her scarf. **Howell wanted to cry. What are you turning into? He thought. Wondering if the old girl he knew was still in there, he reveals his true feelings for Del. Surprisingly, she more or less reciprocates… Was it only because of his nobility? Whatever the case, they renew their promise they made just after the Crimson Deluge. Tarkus dies, nobles are restored to their former power, then they leave. *''lord knows best'' **Montage of Del and Howell killing people, Howell burying his conscious, looking forward to the day that he can leave this damned city. *''Beyond Love'' **Howell reaches a point at which he feels dissatisfied with Del, his love morphing into hate and back again. He was betraying his past ideals. He never wanted to fight, but here he was, slitting throats with Del. One night a dangerous storm keeps the two trapped in an attic of a high ranking Tarkus official. This dude was rich so there was lots of room. As the it thundered, Del sat on the floor sharpening her dagger, waiting for the lightning to stop so they could do the deed and escape safely. It was at this moment that Howell took a leap: Howell started: “Be honest with me…” Del looked up from her blade. “I really wanna know, are you happy with what we’re becoming?” “ Don’t be a fool Charlie. What we are doing is completely necessary.” Del said sternly. “But it’s not just the soldiers… it’s there spouses and children too.” Howell argued. Del thought about this for a moment, stood up, walked over to the half-elf, got in real close and whispered: “That’s what’s most important, one’s house and lineage. With blood as blue as ours, we needn’t be concerned with their trivial lives. Lives that are nothing compared to the ones being lost everyday as a spectacle in the middle of the city!” Del passion powered her voice into a hoarse roar that coincided with the last clap of thunder. The rain outside settled into a drizzle as a brief bout of silence filled the room. Suddenly, dull stomps threatened the pair beneath the floorboards. They’ve blown their cover. As they crawled out the attic window, Howell came to a sad realization. Del was not changing. All his life the nobles cared for no-one but their own. Maybe he was the one that’d changed. **Ultimately he decides to leave Del’s side. Just to figure things out. They were on a break. For now. ACT IV- Stages of Life Post-Rejection (standing in the lurch) *''Alone Again (naturally)'' **Howell separates from Del for the first time since the Deluge and enters a depression. He spends his days going from bar to bar drinking up the stock until he gets kicked out. He spends a lot of time on tall buildings asking what was the point of all that fighting he did. He had lost his mentor and his job all for this woman who wanted horrid things to pass. The worst part of it all was that he was sure he wouldn’t stop loving her, and he hated her for it. But for now Howell would just hate himself, a wandering miscreant with less than stellar combat skills. His father betrayed him and his mother died. The love of his life was a murderous psychopath. And he was man who had to hide his true identity in order to survive. Noble boy reduced to drunken young man. Sad. Just sad man. Howell was truly alone. *''Laughing'' **Howell realizes how horrible Del was and that maybe she was always this bad, even when they were together. She only loved him for the circumstances of his birth and Howell hated that this had come as a surprise to him. She had let him go so easily saying, “You’ll realize what you truly are and return to me Charlot.” This love/hate Howell had for Del made him angry and then crazy. Thoughts of her drive him to violence. Now he was getting kicked out of bars due to fighting. He won these fights every time,50% of the time. *''Swimming'' **One night after nearly being beaten by a half-orc woman, Howell awoke to find the half-orc in the bed next to him also being treated for wounds. With no memory of the previous night he conversed with the woman and they became friends. She convinced Howell that he was way to bent out of shape over Del and that he needed to live his own life. Howell finally moves on from Del (at least for now) as he searches for way forward with his miserable life. One day he comes goes into a bar and asks the bartender if she new of any work. “Well there is this group of adventures for hire starting up” she says as she slides over a business card with a crude drawing on it. Very impressed by the egg-shell color of the card and it’s tasteful thickness, he flips it over and reads: STORMGUARD. ** ACT V- New Life, Road to Actualization (And nothing to get hung about) *''Tusk'' **Howell with new confidence and new friends, confronts Del, ready to resist his love for her, he tries to get her to join the Stormguards cause. *''Strawberry Fields Forever'' **When his plan inevitably fails Howell becomes dejected and wonders what this was all for, and decides to let go of Del for good. *''Negative Harmony-My Way'' **Tarkus and Del- Howell decides that both will have to be removed from Stormgate. Whether that be by carriage or body bag both will eventually have to be taken out. He hopes that Del will leave with him once Tarkus is taken care of, if not, Howell will fight her and kill her. He couldn’t before but now he has the resolve. ACT VI- The End, No Hard Feelings Right? (Well I suppose a friend is a friend) *''Death with Dignity'' **Who ever wins this conflict, Howell or Del, they will feel a deep dissatisfaction with how things turned out. They had promised so much and failed each other at every turn. Despite all of that, there is still something between them, maybe love, maybe hate, but whatever it is, it stops them from completely abandoning the other. The other’s death is not a happy instance but an unfortunate reality that had to come to passs ***Howell if he lives or before he dies forgives his mother for being part of that rotten noble society and maybe even himself. He spends the rest of his life looking forward to seeing her again. *''Gentle Rain'' **Black and white, good and bad. Do these things truly exist? Hate and love, how different are they really? Charlot grew up with the sense of being better by right of birth but not very long into his life that notion was destroyed. Nobles, peasants, criminals and soldiers, they are all the same. They all kill. They all love. These voices fuzz and whir softly in the background of our lives like gentle rain. EPILOGUE COMING SOON Category:Characters